Collaborative workspaces have become a common option among business owners in recent years. The popularity is attributed to the numerous benefits of having collaborative workspaces, which:
- Save space
- Promote creativity
- Boost productivity
- Enhance flexibility
Read on to learn more about how you can create a perfect collaborative workspace for your business.
Minimize Walls and Barriers
Minimal walls and barriers between employees are some of the best ways to encourage interactions among employees. Open floor plans are a practical tip to help foster collaboration because they can tear down communication barriers. For example, if your office has a lot of cubicles, try to take them down and create an open floor plan that creates ease of movement.
Employees can move freely, communicate and share ideas. The open space can make it easier for the supervisor to communicate with the workers and monitor their work.
Encourage Collaboration with Technology
Some technological tools that encourage collaboration include video conferencing, online project management, and group chat applications.
For example, employees can use videos for team meetings, brainstorms, and client presentations. In the same way, workers can leverage online project management tools to keep track of tasks, deadlines, and progress. The workers can use group chat applications for quick communication and sharing ideas.
Take your time to assess your business needs and determine the right technological tools to bring employees closer and encourage them to work together
Create Common Areas
Common areas offer workers a conducive environment to socialize, have informal meetings or take breaks. For instance, you can set up collaboration rooms where employees can go to work on projects together. These rooms should have the necessary technology and furniture to make collaboration easier.
You may also invest in a lounge for employees to relax, take breaks and socialize. A perfect lounge could feature comfortable seating, tables, games, and a TV.
A café is another excellent common area employees can use for socializing and taking breaks. Again, you should furnish the space with tables, chairs and a coffee machine. Creating common areas can give employees more opportunities to interact and collaborate
Downsize the Furniture
A collaborative environment should have less clutter and more space. You can quickly achieve this by removing large desks and private offices in favour of smaller tables and open spaces.
Fewer furniture gives workers more opportunities to interact with each other. Employees will have no option but to communicate and collaborate more when they work close to each other. Here are some furniture ideas for a collaborative workspace.
Standing Desks
Standing desks are a great way to encourage collaboration because they allow employees to stand up and move around. The idea enables employees to get out of their seats and interact with each other.
Collaboration Tables
Collaboration tables are large tables that workers can use for meetings, brainstorms, and group projects. These tables should be comfortable and have enough space for all the participants
Modular Furniture
Modular furniture is a type of furniture you can arrange to create different configurations. The setup allows employees to change the furniture around to suit their needs, especially during project meetings
Collaboration is essential for any successful business. Investing in a collaborative workspace encourages employees to interact, share ideas and work together more effectively. In return, workers will be happier and can draw motivation to stay productive.
We offer customized workspace solutions to suit every company’s goals. You can trust us to help you design a collaborative workspace to fit the available space and resources. Schedule a free consultation with us at Internal Developers to see how we can help you create a collaborative workspace that meets your needs